Ebbey Blog

If my roommate's scared, maybe I should be too.

When first adopted, Ebbey was scared of crossing bridges

Ebbey never had a fear of thunder until her Rottweiler roommate began reacting to the rumbling. Now both large muscular dogs scurry to hide in small dark places when the thunder starts.

It was torture time again, only this time with a hose.

A wet Ebbey poses after swimming in the river. >

Allex Michael: Concerned that a bath would flare up allergy related skin problems, I have not given Ebbey an official shampoo bath until today. She's had regular wet towellings, but never an actual warm water hose off bath. For a dog once terrified of water, a spray bath was less than delightful. However, she did enjoy the shampoo massage and felt very happy once it was over. Plus it cooled her down on a hot day.

I'm so quiet, those naughty birdies didn't even see me.

Allex Michael: While catching up on some reading, Ebbey and I were out in the backyard. Oblivious to the rawhide chewing dog, the partridge family flew in to feed on fallen seeds from the bird feeder. Their young chicks ducked under the fence and scurried over to join them. A great skirmish erupted. As Ebbey lunged after the birds, several chicks took refuge under the deck. We then had to go inside, concerned the parents would abandon the chicks as MIA. Luckily all were eventually reunited within the hour.
Hungarian partridge chicks were the size of sparrows when I first saw them. Now, a month later, they are nearly the size of their parents.

After the last encounter, and all the yelling, I'm a bit more wary this time. Though with the determination of my walking partner, I still went along to get a closer look.

Allex Michael: Ebbey's first porcupine encounter was with her boyfriend Grizzly.

Some of that experience stuck, because Ebbey did not lead the charge to see the porcupine. However, the Rottweiler has apparently not yet had a porcupine experience and was very determined to attack it.

The three of us have seen porcupines on several occasions, but always from a reasonably safe distance. A few times we watched, from a pedestrian overpass, as one walked along the highway below. We also were able to circle one as it tried to escape us along a walking path.

But this time, no such luck. I saw the porcupine before either of the dogs, and began walking up the hill to make a large circle around the creature. Then both of the dogs saw the miniature porcupine. Ebbey responded to my warning, but the Rotti took off and pulled me off my feet. I should mention that she does this wearing a halti. Ebbey then also joined the pursuit, with both dogs dragging me through deep grass. There wasn't much I could do to stop them. The three to five second pull seemed like a lifetime as I imagined being pulled onto the porcupine. Once out of the grass, I was now being dragged along a strip of pavement and fast approaching the young porcupine's tail. Suddenly, Ebbey veered off to the side and away from the porcupine. Luckily this, and the burning of my elbow flesh on asphalt was enough to stop the Rottweiler from dragging me face first into those porcupine quills. I came to a stop about two feet (60cm) from the quills. The Rotti just stood there staring at the porcupine. Why isn't this thing running? Scrambling to avoid a backwards quill attack, I got up pulled the dogs well away from the porcupine and then started cussing them both out. They sit when in trouble, but I haven't been this mad since they drug me through fresh dog poop. Or perhaps it was the cow poop incident. As we continued walking, my elbow burned all the way. A long sleeved shirt had provided some initial protection, but then the polyester fibers had worsened the burn. Returning home, I turned out to be one large grass stain.

She always covers her eyes when she sleeps.

Allex Michael: Especially during hot summers, I often end up working at night and sleep during the day. In order to sleep, I cover my eyes with a dark folded cloth. Ebbey is always suspicious of this ritual. Likely has something to do with her eye fetish.